Supervisor Bob Livsey has announced that the Town of Highlands is fully registered in New York State’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program.
“I think this will be good for some of our residents, and is good for us,” Livsey said at Monday’s Town Board meeting.
In November 2021 $45,572 worth of unpaid sewer bills were relevied onto tax bills; currently there are 102 accounts with overdue water bills, totalling $90,559.
The program helps low income households pay the cost of water and sewer bills which are in arrears, thus preventing those services from being shut off. It provides up to a maximum of $2500 per account ($5000 total) and the funds are paid directly to the water and sewer provider, which, in this case, is the Town of Highlands.
The town’s participation is, Livsey noted, just for town-outside-village residents. The village would need to apply to be part of the program for Highland Falls residents to participate.
The supervisor said the household income threshold needed to apply ranged from $2729 gross monthly income for a single person, up to $6088 gross monthly income for a family of five.
The town has put a link to apply for the program in its website (www.highlands-ny.gov). The state site to learn more about the program is www.otda.ny.gov/lihwap or call 833-690-0208.
While Highland Falls residents are not eligible to participate in this state program the town is now participating in, on Monday evening the Village Board relevied $30,300 in upaid water billings from 2021, and $74,915 in unpaid sewer billings from 2021.
